NBA punishes LaMelo Ball for flipping off ref in ‘obscene gesture’

LaMelo Ball didn’t lie when he told the referees how he felt about one of their calls — and now he’s got to pay a hefty fine.

The Hornets’ superstar received a $35,000 fine for “making an obscene gesture” during Charlotte’s loss to Miami on Tuesday, per the NBA.

Ball, 24, expressed his frustration to the referees after being called for a charge with 4:02 remaining in the Hornets’ 144-117 road setback.

LaMelo Ball tells the referee he’s No. 1. Getty Images

After being whistled with Charlotte trailing 126-105, he quickly flipped off a referee to his right.

He exited the game for good after being called for the technical violation, finishing with 20 points, nine assists and eight rebounds on 6-for-18 shooting in 20 minutes.

For Ball, the $35,000 fine is chump change compared to the $100,000 hit he took last November after making an anti-gay remark.

Ball said, “We loaded up, no homo,” during a postgame interview after a 115-114 win over the Bucks, and the NBA announced its fine while labeling his remark as “an offensive and derogatory comment.”

LaMelo Ball and the Hornets are 2-2. Getty Images

He later apologized.

“I really didn’t mean anything (by it) and don’t want to offend anybody. I’ve got love for everybody, and I don’t discriminate,” Ball said in November 2024.

The No. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and son of the boisterous LaVar Ball, the 24-year-old Ball is in his sixth season in the league, all with the Hornets.

He’s posting his usual gaudy numbers, averaging 26.3 points, 9.5 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game during the team’s 2-2 start.

For his career, Ball has averaged 21.1 points, 7.4 assists and 6.0 rebounds per contest.

The knock on Ball is that the Hornets have not experienced success during his tenure, having last appeared in the postseason in 2016.

The Hornets posted one winning record in Ball’s first five seasons, winning 43 games in the 2021-22 campaign, and have won 27, 21 and 19 games in the last three seasons, respectively.

There is some hope that this year’s team can be more competitive and perhaps compete for the Play-In Tournament, and Charlotte has opened the year with wins over fellow bottom-feeders in the Wizards and Nets, and losses to the more competitive Heat and 76ers.

Charlotte faces the struggling Magic on Thursday night.